Alger Hiss was convicted of perjury on January 21, 1950. Whitaker Chambers, a former Communist Party member, had testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) that Hiss had secretly been a Communist. Hiss denied this allegation. Chambers then produced evidence that he and Hiss had been involved in espionage, which Hiss had previously denied. Hiss was indicted on two counts of perjury, and was found guilty on both counts of perjury and received two five-year sentences, of which he served three and a half years. In this video, Hiss maintains his innocence.

The Facts

Cold War

The Cold War was a sustained state of political and military tension between powers in the Western Bloc (the United States, its NATO allies and others) and powers in the Eastern Bloc (the Soviet Union and its allies in Warsaw Pact).